Thursday, 21 August 2014

I guess my first memory of Elizabeth Taylor was a Lassie film where she appeared. Probably even as a small girl was I impressed by this other girls huge violet blue eyes and very expressive eyebrows.

Even though she became famous as a Hollywood screen star, we should not forget she was, first of a all a child.

Liz at age 13. I wouldn't dare to post a picture of me at that age...

I guess by looking at the style she wears that the following pictures date from the late 1940s.

Liz Taylor led a very interesting life. She did not always fit in the contemporary picture of a good wife, and I think she got herself in some trouble. But it's how she wanted to live, and she payed a price to do so.

Aw, I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE the print of that fabric! So atomic!

Nonetheless she was one of Hollywoods most beautiful actresses, and very talented. Later I admired her for her performance in "Cat on a hot tin roof" opposite Paul Newman.

With her splendid figure, she certainly didn't need to wear a corset in younger years.

There are not many portraits of her laughing.

This dress is so 50s - the polka-dots, the ear-rings… And a pixie hair-cut!

She loved fashion, and she loved jewels.
But she was also a mother. I think those are the pics I like most, they are so touching...

Looks like Jane and Trazan Jr. - gorgeous pic!

Do you like to look at pictures of famous persons too, especially when it comes to bygone eras, to get some fashion inspiration? Ot just to see something beautiful?

Monday, 18 August 2014

Although summer is almost over here in Switzerland - in fact, after a very promising spring it never really WAS a summer - I wanted to make one last summer dress this year, especially as Rosy asked me to be her partner again for the "Share In Style".

As you could read in my previous post, I made a little bit research in advance to find some inspiration, and I spent one or two hours browsing my patterns to find the right dress for my wonderful vintage fabric from the 1940s. Funny thing, that apparently the color way of my fabric was quite typical for the 1940s summer dresses. Lots of red, blue and white patterned materials.

To be honest, I knew the fabric would not be easy to work with, as the print was not on the grain. I realized that when I press the fabric after washing it, and when I layer out my pattern pieces, it came to my mind that probably due to this fact the original owner never used the fabric for project she had in mind. But I never imagined it your be THAT difficult. The checks sometimes were on the grain, sometimes not, which made it extremely difficult to cut the pieces on the grain and make them look good. I lost more time than expected to solve this problem. Even though this was only the second time ever I used a Lutterloh pattern, I felt more comfortable with this design, as I made also a muslin that revealed some parts thad needed more adjustments. There was even a mistake in one of the pattern pieces, but it was an easy fix.

The major (and most challenging) change I made was the front button closure. The original dress had a side closure, probably a zipper, but I wanted buttons. Buttoned dresses are so adorable, and buttons can add so much to the entire look of a dress. And, especially when it is hot (which seldom occurs in my country), it's easier to put on.

The fabric was a dream to work with, despite the print being off-grain. It's a slightly thinner and finer woven cotton, maybe a poplin? And most wonderful to wear!

I made some more changes to the pattern, but then, Lutterloh patterns don't come along with instructions, there's always a lot of guessing, and so I just thought it's also an opportunity to make it my own way. Maybe I will change the sleeves again, I feel they are not set in as perfectly as I wished, but it was so late when I finished my dress I had no time to redo it yet. For the time being I can wear the dress like that.
I was quite happy how it turned out. Of course, the pattern drawings often lye, and dresses very often do not look exactly the same once they're finished, but I think the drawing in this case looks pretty much the same as my dress. Beside the sleeve, that looks slimmer, more fitting.

I finished the dress very late and had time to take the pics only this morning. I was so nervous anyway. It's my daughter's first day at the kindergarten, and I felt so sentimental. And weather was so bad. Look at those dreadful pictures…

I will make a matching belt to wear with this dress, as my red belt is too bright and didn't match. I'm also wearing for the first time a pair of vintage ear clips. They are from the 1940s or 1950s and made of shell. They look like tiny rosebuds or flowers. Usually, I don't wear yellow, it's definitely not my favorite colour, but the look nice with this dress, as there are some tiny yellow flowers too.

We had a rather cool and rainy summer, as it happens in my country, so this dress is a typical summer dress. The fabric is summery, but the dress is also perfect for less good weather. Combined with a lovely cardigan, it can also be worn in September, when we hopefully will have the last warm days of the season.

I'm sure Rosy has definitely warmer weather and sun than me! And so her dress is not only totally summery, but reminds me also a lot of my holidays in Italy in previous years. She made this adorable two-piece dress, and the colors offer her a wide range of combinations. Just look how great these outfits are! Please visit her blog, she's such a great seamstress, and not only her dress, but also the wonderful scenery of her pics make me swoon… She knows how to dress!

Thank you Rosy for being my partner again. Your amazing pictures make me feel like having a holiday on the beach!

And for all those who are confused as Rosy posted some different pictures on the blog this morning - don't panic. I was not sure if I could finish my dress in time, as there was too much going on at home, so I took some pictures of me wearing a summer skirt I made for a playsuit set (it was a sew along project). It was the first time I took that skirt out (did I mention we had a bad summer this year?), and even though the weather on the picture looks fine, it was quite cool. So here are some pictures of that skirt, they were taken at my parent's home. And yes, they have a garden too. It's a family thing.

The skirt is nothing special, it's made after a ver simple pattern from an early 1950s sewing magazine, but it's very nice to combine with different colours, and the button from closure is great. Wearing this skirt made me feel like being on a holiday.

And here's me with my little big girl. She had her first day today at the kindergarten, and I was so sentimental and nervous.

About Me

This blog is like my grandma's box of buttons - mostly from earlier decades, some new ones. Being crafty ever since, I made all kind of crafts, but mostly sewing. Over the last few years, I became a vintage-fabric-and-pattern-addict.

I'm living in Switzerland, in a small village, with my Italian husband and two marvellous kids in a small house with a big garden, growing more than 100 roses.